A/N: Alright guys, I get it. You don't like Hotaru. But I have succeeded in making you pity Kikyo so HA!
*Eh hem*
Just bear with me peeps. Hotaru is just another stage of the story, she won't be here till the end. It just made sense to have Kagome die when she did, because I needed a LOT of time to pass with Inuyasha on the freaking tree, and she would have died of old age anyway. Now her soul has a reason to stick around, so be happy that you'll at least get glimpses of her!
Good bye mah unhappy readers~
It was cold in the forest, the rain bringing rolls of fog with it that seeped threw Hotaru and Inuyasha's cloths till both were soaked threw, even with the protection of the branches. Hotaru had the white orb clasped in her hands, claiming it made them warm and that the glow helped her see, but when the hanyou touched it he neither felt or saw what she spoke of. They found a willow tree with widespread branches and laid underneath, not looking at each other as the night deepened around them. When the rain finally stopped, all was silent in the inky blackness.
"We need to get some cloths for you," Inuyasha finally spoke, "that dress isn't very good for the elements, and its filthy."
"Speak for yourself," Hotaru grumbled. She shivered as she spoke and pulled her knees closer to herself. "You've gotten dirty loads of times before."
Inuyasha bit his tongue at the double-meaning remark. She obviously had remembered more, or that stupid cat had spilled some secrets. Why was the world pressed against him all the time? Why couldn't it for once just help him out a little and let him live without all these accusations crashing around him?
"We'll need to move soon," Inuyasha whispered, "this forest is full of demons. I can smell them. This is their hunting ground, and we're right on their dinner plate."
"Well, yay for them."
Inuyasha frowned, "Look, I know that whatever you saw was probably terrible, but-."
"You attacked me!" Hotaru hissed. "You went all wild-dog and tried to kill me!If I hadn't stabbed you...I can't believe I felt bad about that! I actually thought you were one of the good guys."
Inuyasha's hands tightened into fists. She knew. She knew probably the worst thing that he had done...he had tried to kill her. "I'm glad Kagome shot me. I'm glad she was alright," his voice shook slightly, "I don't understand why she had to die. She had such a long life left. She could have been so happy without a blood thirsty monster like me by her side. I wish I never had met her. Then you'd be at home, I'd be off dying in some idiotic fight with my brother, and Kagome would be..." he couldn't finish the sentence and allowed it to hang open ended. He could hear Hotaru's heavy breathing on the other side of the willow. He hoped to whatever God was still out there that she didn't just take off running right then and there. He half expected her to. What he didn't expect was what she said next.
"...Can you come over closer?"
He blinked in the blackness and turned towards her shadowy form. He could barely make her out, and with human eyes he was sure she wouldn't be able to see more then a foot in front of her, magic orb or not. "Um, yeah, sure. Why?"
He saw her frame shake as she answered simply, "It's dark."
"...Oh." Carefully he made his way over to her and sat down so that he was only a few feet a way. She was still shaking, but not as bad.
"I'm not too much of a fan of night time," she told him.
"Is that why you wanted to stay with Masao?"
"Kinda."
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably, "We really do need to-." He was stopped short when he felt warmth on his side. Looking down, he saw the form of Hotaru leaning against him. If he squinted hard, he could just make out her large brown orbs staring up at him. "...Hotaru?"
"I'm cold," she said defensively, "you were right, these cloths suck."
He couldn't help smiling a bit, "Told you."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't get any ideas. I'm still pissed at you, but according to the cat demon you aren't all that bad. And I'm kind of stuck to you for, like, ever. Until we kill that Naraku bastard at least."
Inuyasha shook his head, "It is so strange to hear you curse."
"Why? Was my other self all prissy and self-disciplined?"
"Not really, but she was decent with self-control."
"Makes you wonder how we're the same, huh?"
"It sure does."
Silence ensued once more. The pair laid like this for who knows how long, the light fog now seeming more friendly in the company of two.
"Hotaru?" Inuyasha whispered. He was greeted by steady breathing. It seemed that the girl had drifted to sleep. He sighed and carefully removed the top part of his kimono, laying it lightly on her shoulders while moving her head to his lap. The imminent threat of demons, jewel shards, and all other hell in the world could wait. For now, all the hanyou wanted to do was rest.
"Inuyasha," The voice was powerful and familiar. Immediately Inuyasha's eyes were open and he was sitting up. It seemed he had fallen asleep against the willow, light now pouring down around him and into his sensitive eyes. He blinked and the harshness dimmed, replaced by the warmth of the steady sun on his skin. At his feet he saw the white orb, cracked clean down the center. It was filled with a sort of pinkish liquid, in the midst of which was a single shard of the pure shikon no tama. So, it had been the jewel after all. "Finally, you are awake."
Looking up, Inuyasha saw the same dark brown eyes he had fallen asleep watching, only this time they seemed deeper, full of an uncomprehending wisdom that seeped into his very core. "Kagome..."
She nodded, reaching down and grabbing the shard from the liquid. She wiped it carefully before placing it in the breast of her dress, "That shall have to do for now. When we get to town, we will have to find something better to hold the pieces in."
"Kagome!" Inuyasha was immediately to his feet, staring at her with all the love and guilt that was constantly pressing into his conscience. "How are you-? What are you-?" Before he could ask anymore questions, Kagome's arms were around him, hugging him close. The strange, otherworldly look in her eyes had not at all diminished who she really was, and her voice was warm when she spoke to him.
"I've missed you, Inuyasha. I'm so glad to see you in person again." Her arms tightened and her voice wavered. "I'm so happy you're alright."
Although he didn't want to, Inuyasha pulled away to look incredulously at Kagome, her ominous message from the last meeting still ringing in his ears. "I thought I'd never see you again. You sounded like you thought so too last time we spoke."
Kagome brushed stray tears from her eyes and beamed up at Inuyasha, "I've been given a second chance. For a little bit, anyways. Now, come on! I don't have much time." She took his hand and started to quickly lead him threw the forest. "When we get to the village, the first thing we're going to do is get something to eat. I'm starving, and the afterlife doesn't really have much to satisfy yourself with when you're a wandering spirit. Waiting to be reincarnated is rather boring, and it seems I'll be waiting for quite some more time, judging by Hotaru. She's rather ridiculous with all her futuristic thoughts."
Inuyasha tried to keep up with what she was saying, but was having trouble since his brain had just exploded. Kagome was here. She was right in front of him. She was touching him. How was this possible?
"I know you're confused," Kagome apologized, slowing her speed a little bit, "but those higher then me thought you might need some motivation to find the jewel shards, since they know you won't want to let my spirit go. When you find them, you can see me for a little bit. As long as you continue to wear the necklace that holds the largest part of my soul. While I'm here, I can use my power to help direct you towards the next shard. It's somewhere in the village we're heading too, by the way."
They walked for a bit more, Inuyasha's mind still recovering so that he could form cohesive sentences. He smelled the smoke of a village in the distance, and that finally seemed to wake him up.
"...So you're leaving again?"
Kagome nodded slowly, "Yes, I am sorry. But, the sooner you find another shard, the sooner I can return to you. That sounds fair, doesn't it? I had to do a lot of talking to finally get someone in the other world to agree, but I figured it out." She made a face. "There are some really stingy people. Kikyo was with me for awhile, but I think she jumped back into the world a decade or so ago. She was mad at me for a long time, but Keade really helped me. Even though I did such a terrible thing to her, she forgave me, and eventually Kikyo did too." She smiled at the hanyou brightly and let go of his hand, turning to him and stopping in her tracks. "Just like I've forgiven you for making a pact with a witch."
"That again," Inuyasha growled, "why do you keep bringing that up? She'd dead, alright? As dead as dead can be. She can't claim my soul now."
"She already has," Kagome replied ominously. "Her soul has attached itself to yours threw the blood bond. We'll have to figure out a way to break it before she takes decides to pull anything."
Inuyasha blinked. "She's...attached to me? I know this doesn't sound very manly, but...ew."
Kagome nodded, "Ew about sums it up. On top of that, she has a really bad temper. I've tried negotiating a few times, but short of killing you myself she hasn't let up. Which—don't you dare ask. I'm not going to end your life. You need to make up for everything you've done and right the wrongs of your past first."
"What wrongs?" Inuyasha grumbled.
"I'd love to tell you, but I've already been told that you have to remember yourself. Another part of the bargain. Plus, you wouldn't believe me."
"Well, that doesn't make me curious or anything."
"Good. Now then, I think we've got another mile before we get there. And I've got about an hour. Next time they promised me till sunset, but this will do for now. And like I said- I'm really hungry."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, "Should you be spending your time with stuff like that?"
Kagome frowned and turned away from the hanyou, "They never said I couldn't. I can do whatever I want, so long as I help out with defeating all these freaks of nature. That includes indulging myself. I can't just go out and hunt down some bad guys on an empty stomach, now can I?"
"Um...no I guess."
Kagome nodded happily, "Good. Now, onto another matter...this would go a lot faster if you would...you know..." she made a gesture with her arms and Inuyasha sighed, not unhappily. He leaned down and allowed her to crawl up onto his back. "Alright, onward!"
"I'm not a horse."
"I didn't say mush, I said onward."
Inuyasha grinned reluctantly; it was nice to have her back, even if her stubbornness came with it. At the very least, she was reasonable. Compared to that Hotaru version, anyway. He took off towards the smell of smoke, letting the wind whip his hair and kimono around as his feet glided over the grassy floor. It felt good to have the extra weight clutching tightly to his back, just like old times...
Except, these weren't old times. These were shitty, present times. And any bit of happiness would soon be snuffed out, once time ran out. Even though Kagome was right with him, he still couldn't be happy, knowing that he would loose her again soon, although only for a little while.
"You're awfully quiet," Kagome whispered into his ear, "anything on your mind?"
"It's nothing," he replied, "just in thought."
"I can see that. A lot to take in, huh?"
"Yeah..."
"You know, I can't tell if you're in shock or are just depressed. I'm right here, okay?" She reached around and tapped the necklace in the center of the beads. "I'll always be here. Even when you can't see me."
"...We're here." Inuyasha stopped and leaned back down. Kagome hesitantly got off his back, sensing the shift in mood.
"Was it something I said? I didn't mean to...I mean, I don't know...if anything offended you-."
"I'm fine, Kagome," Inuyasha replied with a forced smile. "Look, the village is right beyond those trees. Why don't we head threw?"
Kagome bit her lip, wanting to say more, but stopped herself and nodded. "Let's grab something to eat." She smiled, oddly excited. "Then, we start our first jewel shard hunt."
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! Next one will be longer, I promise :) I'm on summer break, so updates should be better for the next couple months ^^